Although education is considered a universal human right, it is not universally available. While a right to education is generally assumed, there are huge disparities in both access to, and equity in, educational opportunity for individuals depending on their life circumstances. Generally all countries offer some form of schooling as a way of providing education but they differ in terms of access, form and content. An international review of basic education in 2000 reported"…a mixed scorecard. The number of children in school soared (from 599 million in 1990 to 681 million in 1998) and many countries were approaching full primary school enrolment for the first time. On the other hand, some 113 million children were out of school". From a human rights perspective, it is important to know not only who is included and who is excluded from schooling but the ways in which access is negotiated for particular groups. In many countries, children with disabilities, for example, are often excluded from school. Moreover, when they are granted access to education, it is often through placement in separate forms of provision such as special schools. Separate forms of provision are problematic in that they perpetuate the segregation of children with disabilities from the forms of schooling that are more generally available, serving in a paradoxical way to both achieve and deny access to education.Since 1990, the post-Socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (CIS/CEE) have undergone tremendous change as they have begun to make the transition towards the establishment of more open and democratic societies and a market economy. Changes in educational systems to meet the demands of transition tend to follow the educational reforms that have characterized democracies with liberal market economies. This paper considers the context within which changes in educational systems, practices and outcomes have occurred for children with disabilities in CIS/CEE countries. The paper draws upon the findings of recent reports on children with disabilities in the region and the educational opportunities available to them. It analyses the data contained in these reports against the twelve steps towards Education for All (EFA) identified in the 1998 Regional Monitoring Report No. 5. Emerging work on the development of a capacity analysis framework for inclusive education against which educational provision for children with disabilities and special needs can be assessed is considered. ? Separate forms of provision continue to perpetuate the segregation of children with disabilities from the forms of schooling that are more generally available, and there is continued demand for specialist facilities in many countries.? International pressure and projects for inclusive education are challenging this traditional model, but other reforms, with emphasis on competitition between schools and academic high standards can work in the opposite direction, increasing incentives to exclude children who perform less well.? While there is little evidence of inclusion of children with disabilities in mainsteream schooling, experience in other countries suggests that a combination of rights-based legislation, training, awareness campaigns and linking of inclusive education to general education reform can help to overcome the problem of educational inclusion for disabled children. Florian, L. (2006) Issues related to the education of children with special needs, including children in residential care in CIS/CEE countries. Unpublished paper, Geneva: UNICEF McLaughlin, M., Artiles, A.J., & Hernandez, G.Y. (April, 2006) Reframing equity dilemmas of treatment in developing countries: A capacity analysis of inclusive education in El Salvador. Paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco. UNESCO (2005) Children Out of School: Measuring Exclusion from Primary Education. Montreal: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. UNICEF (1998) "Education for All? The MONEE Project CEE/CIS/Baltics. Geneva: UNICEFEuropean journal